Rare San Diego sight: Aztecs fans joyous in taking field to celebrate

Despite the lights going out in the stadium near the end of the fourth quarter, the Aztecs managed a come-from-behind win to beat No. 19 Stanford.

Despite the lights going out in the stadium near the end of the fourth quarter, the Aztecs managed a come-from-behind win to beat No. 19 Stanford.

Tod Leonard

Rising above the joyous throng that surrounded the San Diego State team on the field after its upset victory over No. 19 Stanford on Saturday night, an arm shot up.

The hand gripped a blue plastic object that upon further inspection was a curved seat bottom ripped from its hinges.

Vandalism, yes, of the old gray lady, but somebody apparently wanted more than just a selfie to remember the night by.

Certainly, there have been few scenes like it in the 50-year history of the edifice. When the clock ran out on the Aztecs’ 20-17 victory that was the first over a ranked Power Five team in 36 years, fans didn’t so much storm the field as drifted deliriously upon it, San Diego-style.

There was the main cluster around a good number of the Aztecs players, people chanting and singing, but hundreds of other celebrants — many of the them young kids — simply took pictures and wandered aimlessly with wide smiles to take in the moment.

Star running back Rashaad Penny kept walking in circles, not sure what to do, but not wanting to leave. He was stopped every few seconds to pose with people he had never seen before, flashing a smile that seems to define his demeanor. It didn’t look like he turned down a single request.

“That was awesome,” Penny, still in his jersey, said later in the quiet of the interview area, which happens to be the old Chargers locker room. “I’ve never been a part of something like that. As a kid, all of us probably dreamed of just watching the field being stormed.

“This is something San Diego wanted. Sadly, the Chargers (left), but the Aztecs gained some ground around here. It’s that ‘one city, one team’ thing. Everybody is so excited about it. We’re excited about it.”

A good distance from the mob on the field, Aztecs special teams coach Bobby Hauck and linebackers coach Zach Arnett stood together.

“Long time coming,” Hauck said.

About the only guy who seemed a little unnerved by it all was Aztecs head coach Rocky Long.

“I thought it was a little scary,” Long said somewhat jokingly. “All those college kids running out there. I didn’t know what to think.

“But, no, I thought it was really neat. I thought it was cool.”

Just before entering the tunnel to exit the field, San Diego State receiver Mikah Holder, whose third-down reception helped set up David Wells’ winning touchdown with 54 seconds left, shared a hug with his brother, King, who played for the Aztecs from 2011-13.

Long departed to the locker room with their brother and Mikah’s twin, Alijah, who was part of the beaten Cardinal side.

There were at least 70 Holder family members and friends in the stands.

“It’s big,” Mikah Holder said. “I had so many family coming. It was a lot of pressure. But it’s something I wanted to embrace because the magnitude of this game was just crazy.”

Holder hails from Oceanside High, and it is he along with other locally produced teammates like starting quarterback Christian Chapman (Carlsbad High) who could most appreciate how rare such a big win is for SDSU.

Chapman was born in 1995, 14 years after the Aztecs’ last win over a ranked Power 5 opponent, Iowa State in 1981. During Chapman’s childhood, there were 11 consecutive seasons in which the Aztecs did not post a winning season record.

In what could be a program-changing win, Chapman completed 4 of 5 passes and threw the 8-yard winning TD to tight end David Wells.

“I’m from here,” Chapman said. “How many people came up to me and said, ‘So glad you stayed home, hometown guy.’

“It means a lot to me. Especially to see all the Carlsbad kids here, Pop Warner kids here. To do that in front of my hometown people, no better feeling than that.

“A big win for us. I love it.”

Long said he didn’t dare put a damper on his joyous group in the locker room by reminding them that they’ve played three games, with nine in the regular season still to go.

“It probably meant something to the fans, right?” he said. “Running a football program is different than being a fan.”

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